Sunny shattered yet another pair of skeletons.
The bones scattered across the ruined ground with a clatter, skulls rolling away before coming to rest against cracked stone. For a few seconds, nothing happened.
Then the fragments began to tremble.
He watched it happen with a flat expression as the ribs crawled toward spines and finger bones snapped back into hands. This sight was growing tiresome.
"This shit again…"
With a tired sigh, he stepped forward and kicked one skull clean off its spine before grabbing the reassembling heap by the neck. The other skeleton managed to regain its footing and lunged clumsily. Sunny ducked over its hand, swept its leg, and drove his sword through its spine, scattering it once more.
A minute later, both piles of bones were tumbling down into one of the many wells within the area.
They clattered all the way down, and Sunny watched over the edge as they did, waiting.
Nothing flew back up.
He allowed himself a small smile.
'Good! Stay there.'
It had been six days since he made his decision to get out of this godforsaken area of the Dark City. He'd spent these days relentlessly hunting Nightmare Creatures, ignoring everything except for one distant, impossible goal.
The golden light on the horizon.
Even now, he could almost see it when he closed his eyes.
As if the Awakened and Fallen creatures infesting the city were insufficient, immortal skeletons had joined the welcoming committee. They gave him no Shadow Fragments, and thus, no reward.
After some thought, Sunny had reached a simple conclusion.
They belonged to something. A tyrant, most likely. Empty puppets animated by another will. Destroying them was like striking a shadow on the wall—annoying, a waste of energy, meaningless.
And yet, he could not ignore them.
He pushed away from the well and rolled his shoulders, feeling the dull ache of half-healed wounds protest. Blood Weave had already done its work on the worst of them. Cuts had stopped bleeding, and his torn flesh slowly knitted itself together.
He had no memories capable of healing. And no convenient echo to shield him in any way.
All he had was his stubborn vitality and the small miracle literally in his veins.
He clicked his tongue and crouched, pulling a folded scrap from inside his Puppeteer's Shroud. It was a torn piece of old parchment he had scavenged from the cathedral's debris. The surface was stiff with dried, dark stains.
But within the scrap—
Dozens. Soul shards, at least ten within the wrapped parchment. Of course, he couldn't absorb them.
Sunny stared at the small map he had sketched over the past week. They were crude lines that marked the streets, self-made death zones, and hiding spots. And across it all, small X's were marked in deep brown that had once been bright red.
His own blood.
He had drawn each mark after a battle, pressing a cut fingertip to the scrap and willing his blood to run. One X for every pile of soul shards he had been forced to abandon.
The cathedral held one proper heap—but that was only one of many. He had managed to drag that one back on the second day, nearly dying in the process. The rest… were scattered across this broken city like breadcrumbs for monsters. Some lay beneath collapsed buildings, others in alleys now swarming with iron spiders or patrolled by Fallen abominations he had no desire to face twice.
But, nonetheless, they were waiting. Glittering and useless as they were at the current moment.
"Tch… what a waste."
Every time he cut down another creature and collected the soul shard, a familiar irritation flared within him. He could feel their value. After all, Sunny was definitely a man of avarice. Yet they remained out of reach, accumulating in little graves he might never return to.
If the influx continued, some of those caches would be lost forever. Buried under tides of Nightmare Creatures.
He folded the scrap carefully and tucked it away. It'd have to join yet another one of the many piles in this accursed city.
But still, no use thinking about it further.
His shadow stretched across the rubble beside him before moving outward. Through it, he observed the surrounding streets within a kilometer radius. A moving map of death.
That ability—he'd never come to appreciate it more than now. It had saved his life more than once.
Anything that came too close was felt before it was seen.
But, still, he had bled. More times than he cared to count.
In the endless night, when he hid in collapsed buildings to recover essence, the city groaned around him like a dying beast. He could lie there staring into darkness, listening for footsteps that never came.
And, unwillingly, he would think of them.
Nephis. Effie. Cassie.
Even Caster, the bastard that he is.
He clicked his tongue, thinking: 'They're fine.'
Or, at least, considering they were all together—they had to be in both a worse and better predicament than he was.
"Well," he muttered under his breath, straightening his back. "Back to this terrible work."
The past six days had at least been productive.
He had mapped the local horrors.
The grotesque spear-throwing creatures. He still felt phantom pain in his side when he thought of them. Iron javelins spewing from their own flesh.
Iron spiders of the Awakened rank. He had grown accustomed to picking them off from advantageous positions, crushing them before they could form a swarm.
Then… unfortunately, he realized that their Fallen counterparts also existed.
Heavier, bigger, and relentless. They moved swiftly, with crushing force capable of flattening him like an ant.
He had survived one encounter by the narrowest margin, retreating with torn muscles and cracked ribs while his shadow kept his surroundings in check.
Then, there were also wraiths. He had no desire to test them further.
Blood fiends, at least, were manageable. He could count over thirty kills by his hand. Their twisted forms differed enough from the skeletons that confusing the two was impossible. They bled—they died—they rewarded him.
And then there had been the basilisk.
Sunny's expression darkened slightly at the memory. He was forced to fight it blind.
Or well, with his eyes closed. His blade was guided by his skill and shadow sense alone. The creature's claws had nearly torn him, but thankfully, in that same moment his blade also parted its neck. A hot spray of blood followed a split second before its claw nearly took his head.
A fine test of skill.
The memory he received afterward had been… underwhelming. A simple red beam of light that had no use to him aside from luring in other nightmare creatures. Not really required, considering doing such a thing would be a death sentence.
'Wonderful, mood lighting.'
He exhaled slowly. It had been over three weeks in this ruined section of the Dark City. And once more, his Shadow fragments said enough.
Shadow Fragments: [346/1000]
A faint smile touched his lips.
'Ah… the fruits of my labor.'
Over two hundred fragments earned in constant battle over the span of six days. Little rest—and more than a little mercy.
At this pace, another week might bring him over the four-hundred mark.
Unless something killed him first—
His shadow suddenly shifted, causing Sunny to still.
Through its eyes, he noticed two blood fiends retreating down the street ahead. They were backing away from something.
On his left, eight iron spiders clung to the walls of a broken building.
On his right, a few more of those immortal skeletons wandered aimlessly.
He ignored them all, for his interest was elsewhere.
Instead, he vaulted up the crumbling wall behind him and pulled himself onto a fractured ledge. From there, he leaned forward slightly and narrowed his eyes.
A… a plaza opened beyond the next street.
And within it—
Light flashed. Sparks burst into the air. Even the clang of stone and iron could be heard, albeit faintly.
Sunny narrowed his eyes further.
His shadow crept closer, hugging the walls and slipping between the debris. The battlefield came into clearer view.
…Multiple Nightmare Creatures were engaged. And the fight was ongoing.
He felt a slow grin spread across his face.
If they were merely Awakened, the clash would have ended already. But this one had been raging long enough to not only suggest something further, but allow Sunny to physically see it.
Creatures of the Fallen rank.
His heart beat a little faster.
In the past six days, he had slain two Fallen monsters only because they had already been weakened by other battles. He had learned something important about himself during that time.
He loved finishing fights he did not start.
Less effort. Same reward.
"Time for some free essence," he murmured with glee.
The ordinary rock was absent, which meant no dry commentary about his imminent death.
Sunny rolled his neck slowly and assessed the routes of approach.
Blood fiends to the front.
Iron spiders to the left.
Skeletons to the right.
All annoyances.
He could draw some away, lure others into each other, and let the chaos thin the numbers.
His shadow slithered forward eagerly, and Sunny's eyes gleamed with anticipation.
He had fragments to collect.'
"What?"
That single word slipped from Nephis's mouth before she could stop it.
For a heartbeat, the world seemed to falter.
Caster had returned from scouting only moments ago. Among them, he moved the fastest—swift and uncatchable. Even with the flood of Nightmare Creatures drowning the settlements of the Dark City, none among the rank of Awakened or Fallen could match his speed. He came and went as he pleased, wind trailing in his wake, untouched.
Yet now, standing before her, dust clinging to his boots and a little on his brow, he had delivered his statement like a funeral bell.
Their funeral, really, if what he said was true.
Even Cassie, seated quietly beside Nephis, had gone pale.
Caster steadied his breath a moment before continuing:
"I'm afraid so, Lady Nephis. The crimson coral is expanding without a doubt. I did not approach its heart—it lies too far beyond our reach. However, I saw enough. Whatever commands it has begun driving it toward the Dark City."
Silence took hold a moment.
With the torchlight flickering along the rough wall, it clearly showcased Nephis's still face.
Her expression remained surprised, but it cooled. She seemed to be in a deep state of thought for a moment.
She folded her arms slowly. "How long?"
Caster inclined his head slightly. "It advances with deliberation. I observed something of steady growth. But, without knowing whether it has accelerated, I can only offer an estimate. A month, perhaps. Enough time for it to cross the continent and reach us."
Cassie's fingers tightened in her lap. Her sightless eyes trembled faintly.
She whispered. "That is not enough."
Nephis gave a sound of agreement.
Of course, they were referring to their original plans. They'd have to completely go out the window now.
They had a month-ish. Thirty days at most. And now, it would all have to be prioritized toward staying alive—and worse, possibly relocating entirely.
What a hollow taste in their mouths.
Caster watched them both, and for once, his thoughts did not linger to his original purpose. News of this magnitude would spread quickly. Effie already carried it through the settlement, and somewhere among the sleepers, Caster was sure there were ears loyal to the Bright Castle. Gunlaug would learn of it soon enough, if he had not already.
The crimson coral did not creep in like a mere parasite. No, it consumed all like a rising tide.
No tyrant could orchestrate such a phenomenon. The scale surpassed the will of any mere commander of beasts.
Truly, a Fallen-Terror.
Caster truly felt how dire the situation was. A Fallen-Terror directing an expanding ocean of crimson growth across the wasteland. With it would come hosts of abominations, driven forward by hunger to kill every Sleeper in sight.
He could not complete his mission if he lay broken and faceless beneath a tide of coral and claws.
The settlement, for now, thrived. Hunting parties under Nephis's leadership returned with meat and supplies. The Sleepers she gathered from the remnants of the Dark City had begun to create fragile order from ruin.
But how long could something like this endure?
The onslaught had already intensified. Raids grew more frequent, and the creatures wandered closer to their perimeter in restless agitation, as though sensing something they wanted.
'We don't have much time.'
Caster pressed his fingers briefly to his forehead, exhaling through his nose.
Nephis's expression had returned to its familiar stillness. Utterly cold.
Cassie, however, remained visibly shaken. A faint tremor could be seen running through her shoulders.
He studied her carefully.
She is a seer. If she appears this unsettled, then something in the tapestry of fate has shifted.
Caster spoke at last: "I will remain nearby. The next defense will begin soon."
Nephis nodded once. Thereafter, he stepped outside and closed the door.
The settlement spread before him in salvaged housing. In three weeks, it had transformed from scattered hovels into something of structure. Sleepers once hiding in broken homes could now walk openly within their crude perimeter. Some possessed useful Aspects, others were just extra hands.
Caster, for a moment, wondered how Gunlaug had overlooked them for so long.
He walked through the narrow paths between dwellings, receiving some nods and wary glances. Each time, he answered with calm courtesy. He was the fastest among them, so everyone knew him from the frontline. Always the first to intercept a breach in defense.
Thirteen days since the flood began—now six days of relentless escalation. If this kept up, his core would be completely saturated in no time.
Yet his thoughts wandered to another matter.
Gunlaug, Lord of the Bright Castle.
A man who could, if the rumors proved true, face Fallen Nightmare Creatures alone and emerge drenched in their remains. Beasts, monsters, perhaps even Demons, should terrain favor him.
Caster knew strength when he saw it. After all, he recognized it in himself.
Perhaps enmity had become a luxury they could no longer afford. Even if blades remained poised at each other's throats.
He exhaled slowly. A moment later, he heard heavy footsteps approach.
Effie walked into view with a roasted strip of meat in her hand. She stopped him and raised the bone as a playful greeting.
Effie grinned. "Han Li! You look terrible! Trouble in paradise? Oh—wait, no, you aren't at the Bright Castle anymore—"
Caster turned his head toward her. "Effie."
She took another bite, chewing thoughtfully before swallowing.
She gestured vaguely with the bone. "How bad?"
By then, she had finally caught up with Caster, walking step in step with him. "You heard enough. It's not looking good."
She rolled her shoulders, stretching as though preparing for the upcoming brawl.
Then, a moment later, she shrugged. "Well. Aside from the impending doom."
Caster allowed the faintest lift of his brow. "…The usual? I mean, not much changes around here."
She took the chance to study him a moment as they walked.
Despite her casual posture, there was a sharpness in her eyes. Effie had survived here for three years, and Caster respected her strength for it.
Nothing escaped her notice for long.
Suddenly, she said: "Well, besides everything going to shit… I have to admit, it has been pretty lively since your little ragtag group arrived."
Caster raised a brow, turning his head toward her. "My ragtag group? I'm only here because Lady Nephis came to me with a proposition."
Effie chuckled. "That makes two of us."
The distance to the settlement house holding Nephis and Cassie passed rather quickly.
Minutes later, Caster pushed open the door with courtesy, stepping aside to allow Effie through first.
Effie strolled in, lifting the sixth half-eaten strip of meat in salute. "Thank you kindly."
The room felt smaller once all four of them gathered, but also a lot safer.
Nephis stood near a narrow window with distant silver eyes, her posture straight. Cassie remained seated at the table with folded hands, her expression subdued and heavy.
Something had settled between them. A decision, perhaps.
Caster felt it immediately.
He would have lied to himself had he claimed to be calm.
After a stretch of silence, Nephis released a slow breath.
Effie's grin vanished and Caster's gaze sharpened. Even Cassie lifted her chin slightly.
Nephis spoke evenly: "We will have to ally with the Bright Lord."
'…What?' Caster thought.
Effie's eyes widened. But for Caster, his widened as well, albeit for a far different reason.
Nephis was being uncharacteristically adaptable. Far more than he had assumed.
For a fleeting moment, he felt pure disbelief.
He had prepared arguments upon arguments to try and convince Changing Star. And naturally, he had expected resistance due to her pride and hatred for the man.
Instead, she chose the blade that cut deep into her own ambition.
Caster stepped forward slightly. "My lady, are you certain—?"
Effie folded her arms and beat him to it. "No—it makes sense."
Caster turned slowly toward her. He felt his entire world tilt.
'…Who are these people? Where are the real Nephis and Effie?!'
Nephis continued, oblivious to Caster's utter disbelief.
"Another defensive engagement is approaching. Each one is draining us further and further. We cannot divide our strength between repelling raids and protecting the settlement indefinitely. If the Sleepers fall, there will be no future to plan for."
Cassie turned her face toward the general area of Caster's voice. "We accelerated our timeline believing we'd still be able to finish it, giving us an advantage. Now, as you warned us, the spreading coral changes everything. This is no longer a contest of influence between Nephis and Gunlaug. It concerns everyone's survival, and it concerns everyone right now."
Her fingers tightened slightly. "What future awaits us if we persist as we are?"
For a moment, no one could answer her. But they knew she was right.
Effie exhaled slowly through her nose. "I despise those bastards as much as the next. But I've been counting the losses. We're falling with every raid—eight more than the last, and this place is slowly becoming a nice pile of rubble. And, y'know, I'd rather avoid sleeping under an open sky again!"
A faint curve touched Nephis's lips. It was brief, though.
Meanwhile, Caster's mind was racing.
The settlement already felt compromised. The coral was advancing at unknown speeds. And much more, the raids were intensifying. Flying abominations would soon follow.
His guess? The Spire Messengers. They were flying abominations of the Fallen Rank, and Monsters at that.
He spoke carefully. "Still, we should prepare to relocate. Regardless of how negotiations unfold, remaining here grows untenable. Once the Messengers reach us, losses will become catastrophic."
Nephis considered this a moment.
Finally, she nodded once.
"That will be decided after we meet Gunlaug—"
Suddenly, a violent pounding shattered the moment. Three heavy strikes against the door.
The next second, it burst open before anyone could answer.
A young man stumbled inside, with blond disheveled hair and his breath ragged.
"L-Lady Nephis! Another onslaught!"
A collective sigh moved through the room.
Nephis stepped forward, walking past Effie and Caster and meeting the man eye to eye. "Direction?"
"West!"
Caster's expression suddenly hardened like never before, noticed by Effie.
"Send everyone to the east side. Immediately."
"Yes, Ma'am!"
The words only had a moment to linger before everyone burst into action. They moved at once.
Outside, the settlement stirred into frantic motion. Sleepers were scattering toward their defensive positions, and all others incapable of fighting were running to the east side of the settlement. Weapons were drawn and crude horns—a memory belonging to a Sleeper in charge of warnings—were sounded.
By then, the four of them were sprinting toward the western side.
Cassie was keeping close, guided by the sound of their steps.
Mid-sprint, Caster glanced at Nephis. "…This will surpass the previous ones, all of them."
Effie bared her teeth. "Why?!"
Caster answered without slowing down. "This direction leads toward the Crimson Spire. With the coral spreading, Nightmare Creatures belonging in that region may be here. What's worse—if Spires join the raid, we cannot contain them."
Effie went pale. 'Spire Messengers?! We're finished.'
After all, they were the Fallen-Monsters that ruled the Forgotten Shore's skies.
Archers positioned on the eastern side would be useless against a sudden descent from above. The trio could draw ground creatures away, isolate them, and grind them down.
But they could not slay the Spire Messengers. Hell, they couldn't even keep their attention for long.
Caster turned his head fully toward Nephis.
And then, truly, he saw it.
Her face.
For the briefest instant, it was stripped of its usual stillness.
All her expression conveyed was complete, genuine horror. Utterly raw for all to see.
The plan to overthrow Gunlaug completely dissolved in that expression of hers. The fragile design of her plans all but erased beneath cruel, harsh reality.
Alliance—survival—pride. All meaningless if the settlement becomes the Shore's newest graveyard.
Yet, the next moment, her expression was stoic again.
Though her jaw was trembling, her eyes were burning with white flame once more.
It did not matter.
There was a home behind them. And they would not let it fall without a fight.
A thunderous crash rang out.
Thirty minutes after searching for a path through the iron spiders, blood fiends, and immortal skeletons, Sunny crouched atop a crumbling building. His body remained still while his shadow slipped across broken stone, serving as his eyes as he observed the confrontation below.
A building not far from his perch suddenly shuddered and collapsed. The street vanished beneath a swelling cloud of dust and flying debris. A massive shape hurtled through the air and slammed into a distant wall, triggering an avalanche of shattered stone.
The creature struggled to rise—twitched once—then grew still. Dark, sparkling blood spilled across the broken ground.
It was dead.
Sunny shifted his gaze toward it.
The fallen figure resembled a stone maiden, carved in the image of a solemn warrior. A halberd lay beside her cracked form.
He did not linger, however.
The dust surged upward, swallowing the rooftops and alleys alike. Sunny dove into the shadows and descended the building's side, allowing the rising cloud and violent gusts born of battle to conceal his movement. The wind brushed against his skin, a cool breeze bringing a smile to his face.
From below, the square revealed itself in grim clarity.
Ruins of once-grand buildings encircled a dark expanse. Within it, a vicious struggle unfolded between three forces.
Two organized groups. And a single airborne abomination that even his shadow sense struggled to grasp.
Sunny blinked.
'It's… those statues.'
He had encountered them before. Recently, in fact.
Stone warriors. Neither immense nor overwhelming in raw strength, yet capable of enduring staggering punishment. Their bodies absorbed damage that would have felled lesser creatures instantly. One of them crashing through a building and dying so violently spoke volumes about the strength of their opponent.
Beyond endurance, they possessed the discipline and precision of a master.
Their movements were near-flawless, in complete coordination with one another. Strategy guided their steps, while most monsters were simply mindless. Nightmare Creatures stronger than they had fallen beneath that relentless unity.
Sunny had always avoided them.
Though they lacked the rank of Fallen, the stone revenants remained dangerous enough to demand caution.
He narrowed his gaze—and froze.
'You have got to be kidding me! Is this some sick joke?!'
The spiders… the spiders were larger than the ones he had hunted before. And far heavier. Their carapaces were many times darker, and denser as well.
These were no lesser variants. Each one was a Fallen-Beast.
This meant that the smaller iron spiders he had picked off earlier belonged to something greater.
That realization made his chest feel tight.
Then there was the third presence. The one that unsettled him the most.
It flew.
Any creature that commanded the skies along the Forgotten Shore carried a terrifying tally of corpses behind it. Flight translated into dominance. Sunny possessed no bow, nor any other means to challenge the air directly.
Worse still, the creature resisted his perception. Through his shadow sense, it flickered and distorted like TV static. Through his own physical eyes? Parts of it seemed to vanish entirely.
At times, it felt absent.
At others, overwhelmingly present.
And something pale gleamed where its face should have been. Seemingly, a silver mask.
Retreat offered no comfort to Sunny, though. Behind him waited the creatures he had already bypassed. Turning back meant carving through them—and given his chances, probably dying.
Sunny exhaled slowly. He rarely abandoned a path once chosen.
He leapt from the building and dropped into the plaza.
Four Fallen Iron spiders.
Three Awakened stone warriors.
And the masked abomination in the sky.
As he sprinted, merging with shadow and rubble alike, distance shrank rapidly. He summoned the Prowling Thorn, the familiar stringed kunai settling in his grip. Midnight Shard glimmered faintly in his other hand.
His objective remained simple.
Final blows. No direct confrontation. Any sort of actual battle would spell his demise.
He waited…
Watched…
Measured…
Sixty seconds crawled by…
Then an opportunity revealed itself.
One stone warrior faltered beneath a relentless assault. Another struggled to fend off the airborne horror alongside a single spider. A third clashed fiercely with its opponent.
The last faced two spiders simultaneously. Cracks webbed across her broken stone body.
She would fall within moments, in fact.
So Sunny moved. There was no time for hesitation. He plunged directly into the chaos.
The Midnight Shard flashed, and the Prowling Thorn followed.
Steel rang against stone and chitin. He targeted the duel between the final stone warrior and her two enemies. One spider bled heavily, ichor leaking from its broken plating. The other drove a bladed leg deep into the statue's torso.
Sunny acted.
He slid beneath the wounded spider, shadow augmenting the Black Tachi in his grip, and thrust upward into the creature's vulnerable underside, piercing the softened joint already compromised by battle.
In the same heartbeat, he hurled his kunai toward the stone warrior.
The projectile struck as the spider's steel leg completed its lethal thrust.
Sunny rolled clear in two seconds. Meanwhile, the iron spider he had pierced continued to convulse and collapsed.
The stone warrior shattered, fragments scattered across the square.
The remaining spider lost balance and crashed sideways, dragged down by the stone's weight.
Before it recovered, Sunny was already hiding behind a pile of stone, hidden in the shadows.
'Come on… Come on! Say it, my dear~!'
The Spell's melodic voice echoed within his mind.
[You have slain a Fallen Beast, Iron Widow.]
[You have slain an Awakened Monster, Stone Saint.]
[Your shadow grows stronger.]
A pure grin of glee touched his lips.
'Eight fragments! Woooo!'
The wounded Iron Spider that had delivered the killing blow to the Stone Saint wrenched its bladed leg free. Ruby dust poured from the gaping wound like sparkling powdered blood.
As Sunny hid in the shadows, his eyes snapped upward.
Above them, the air whistled. The masked abomination seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, folded its wings, and plunged.
Sunny's eyes sharpened with avarice.
'That's my kill, you bastard!'
His arm moved before any doubt could form. The Prowling Thorn left his hand like a shard of night, slicing through the drifting ash. It struck the Iron Spider just as the flying horror descended, piercing the weakened seam of its skull.
[You have slain a Fallen Beast, Iron Widow.]
[You have received a Memory.]
A grin tugged at Sunny's lips.
Perfect timing, yet again.
The airborne abomination tore through the space where the spider had stood an instant before, crashing into stone with enough force to crater the plaza. Dust and broken tiles erupted outward. By the time it rose again, the corpse already belonged to him.
The Spell's sweet murmur faded.
The abomination launched skyward once more, attention shifting toward distant movement elsewhere. In its wake remained the final Stone Saint and two remaining Iron Spiders. The third statue had already fallen, shattered beyond recognition.
Sunny slipped to a new pocket of darkness and watched.
The last Stone Saint fought like a relic of a forgotten war.
An Iron Spider lunged.
She pivoted and struck.
The beast hurtled away, smashing into a ruined column. It rose again, legs screeching against stone in rage.
The spiders possessed greater speed and raw force. Their iron limbs carved through masonry as though through brittle wood.
Yet the stone warrior pushed through all of it.
Her steel sword traced ruthless arcs. Her shield absorbed punishing blows. Every motion carried lethal precision, as though etched into her very being. She abandoned caution entirely, trading flesh for damage, granite for blood.
Vengeance animated her now.
Soon her body bore deep fractures. Entire chunks of stone had been torn away. Ruby dust streamed from her wounds, painting her form in a crimson haze.
The spiders fared little better. Fetid ichor coated the square. Severed limbs lay scattered among shattered shields and broken blades.
Then one spider staggered.
It collapsed heavily, legs spasming.
Before life could leave it fully, however, a silent kunai flashed from the shadows and buried itself in the creature's skull.
[You have slain a Fallen Beast, Iron Widow.]
Sunny exhaled slowly in relief. 'Nearly missed that one…'
The final spider shrieked and lunged, countless black eyes burning with mindless fury.
The Stone Saint raised her round shield one last time—
The impact tore it free.
Her right arm followed, ripped from her body in a spray of grinding stone.
Yet in the same second, her sword drove forward.
…The blade pierced straight through the spider's head.
The beast shuddered and fell. Sunny never even got the chance to land the final blow.
A breath later, her sword cracked and turned dull. Now solidified fully into lifeless stone, it fell.
Silence spread across the square. The battle was over, and no victor emerged. Sunny couldn't truly be called a participant.
He shook his head softly.
'What a sight.'
And more than that…
'Sixteen fragments! Hard labor truly does pay off.'
Truly, it was a feat. All of them were collected within minutes.
And much more, he even received a memory, though he had no time to check what it was.
This battle was worth every calculated risk. Some, even reckless—but worth it nonetheless.
The final Stone Saint swayed and collapsed onto her back.
For a moment, Sunny thought her also dead, but her shadow said otherwise.
'She's still alive…?'
Alive, albeit barely.
No victor stood in the plaza. Only corpses and drifting dust.
Sunny rose from the shadows and moved quickly. More Nightmare Creatures would flood the square soon, drawn by the blood and ruin. He had little time to spare.
He stepped carefully around spreading pools of ichor and approached the fallen warrior.
Up close, she appeared almost serene.
Her black armor had hardened into true stone, sealing over the damage in uneven patches. Through fractured gaps he glimpsed smoother granite beneath, dark grey and polished like sculpted marble. Ruby dust flowed steadily from deep cracks, shimmering faintly in the dim light.
Her eyes were twin crimson gems. And those two eyes shifted, and found him.
Within them lingered fading embers.
No fear.
No plea…
Only pure exhaustion.
Throughout the battle she had remained silent. Even now, no sound escaped her.
Sunny crouched beside her and sighed.
"Well… you did well, I'll tell you that. Your sisters are avenged, I promise."
He summoned the Midnight Shard—
And drove it through the visor of her helm. He met resistance from its protection, even at the brink of her end. He was forced to press harder, ensuring the strike ended her swiftly.
The crimson light in her eyes dimmed. She was truly gone now.
He withdrew the blade slowly.
"…You showed them."
The Spell's voice drifted through the darkness.
[You have slain an Awakened Monster, Stone Saint.]
[Your shadow grows stronger.]
Sunny allowed himself a small smile.
'Three hundred and sixty-six!'
However, the next thing he heard stole his attention entirely.
[You have received an Echo: Stone Saint.]
Sunny froze as if he were a stone statue himself.
'No way.'
This was hell.
Soon, it would deserve the name proper.
On the western edge of the settlement, Nephis stood amid a storm of claws and steel. Nightmare Creatures flooded the broken streets in a relentless tide. Beside her, Caster moved like a silver shadow, exploiting every opening she carved into the enemy ranks. Effie held the other flank, laughter bursting from her lips as her spear and fist rose and fell, crushing bone and chitin with brutal force.
Twelve Sleepers had joined them.
Five already lay dead.
Nephis had slain eighteen abominations. Caster's speed turned her momentum into swift execution. Effie kept the line from collapsing through sheer ferocity.
White flames devoured the battlefield as Nephis was forced to release them again. All she felt was pure agony.
Her flaw burned through her, a searing current that gnawed at her nerves and blurred the edges of her sight with tears. Each swing of her blade felt as though she cleaved through her own flesh. Pain allowed her focus, but just because it did didn't mean her body wouldn't give natural responses.
The onslaught demanded more attention than her suffering.
Twenty minutes passed in tides of blood and fire.
Then… Cassie's voice tore through the chaos.
"ABOVE! THEY'RE HERE!"
Fear was clearly laced in those words of hers.
Even mid-strike, heads tilted upward.
Caster's jaw tightened. Effie barked out a sharp laugh that carried no joy, but instead nervousness. Nephis felt her eyes tremble as she forced them to focus.
They had arrived…
Three Spire Messengers circled overhead, massive silhouettes cutting across the night sky. Pale bodies gleamed beneath matted black feathers. Jagged beaks glinted like obsidian blades. Their wings churned the air with dreadful authority.
Three. The number may have sounded insignificant. But, truly, it spelled their annihilation.
Effie had once claimed they were Fallen-Beasts. Reality, however, would soon prove otherwise.
One of the monsters folded its wings and descended toward the western line.
The other two, however, veered away in the opposite direction.
Toward the East—the densest cluster of civilians.
'The East! No!'
For a heartbeat, Nephis stood suspended between two choices.
Caster, meanwhile, shouted over the roar of battle. "Do not fall back! We hold here! We're barely managing as it is!"
Unfortunately, he was correct.
The line already buckled under pressure. Creatures clawed and shrieked from every direction. Nephis fought through a wave of six-limbed horrors, white fire blazing through flesh.
Her vision wavered. Tears threatened to form, born from pain rather than any actual grief.
She forced them back. If she faltered, everything would collapse.
She glanced eastward.
The two Spire Messengers closed the distance rapidly. Their shadows swept across the rooftops like an executioner's blade.
If they reached the people, the settlement would drown in blood.
She cut down another abomination, its body falling into smoldering halves.
Her thoughts circled to a single conclusion.
…There was no solution that saved everyone.
Effie fought like a creature possessed, vitality radiating from her movements. She cursed and mocked as she smashed through enemies, though blood darkened her armor and slowed her steps. The bravado masked her exhaustion.
Caster's armor gleamed crimson along one side. A deep wound marked his flank. He ignored it with a set expression, his movements precise and elegant.
Of the twelve Sleepers who had joined them, only seven remained standing.
One was being dragged away by a creature's maw even now.
Nephis saw it—yet she could not move to help.
If she abandoned her position, the formation would shatter. Effie would face the brunt of it alone—and soon after, Caster would follow.
Cassie remained hidden behind broken stone, offering her warnings due to her intense senses. She gave trembling shouts, guiding them through coming threats.
But she could not fight.
Nephis's face changed for a single, fragile instant.
Her expression entirely crumbled.
All her preparation… All her calculations…
Each of her strategies drowned beneath harsh reality. The tide could not be commanded—only killed and repelled.
The western settlement would survive this wave.
The East would drown in blood.
Changing Star of the Immortal Flame Clan. A funny name, given the circumstances.
To change what? She was bound to fail.
It was a bitter feeling, and not one she was used to.
Though, strangely, another image surfaced in her mind.
Sunny.
Where was he?
…Somewhere within this nightmare, fighting his own battle. Alone. Free of responsibility for anyone beyond himself.
Just like him, and yet… also not. He had saved Cassie from drowning so long ago, after all.
But he would survive—he was quite hard to kill.
For a fleeting moment, she considered the simplicity of that path. To carve a route through the chaos and abandon the rest.
The idea faded as soon as it formed.
That was Sunny—not her. That was not who she was.
There remained only one choice.
Do what could be done.
Survive. Live on. Fight another day.
Nephis turned away from the East. Her sword ignited fully, white fire roaring upward like a pillar of light.
She stepped forward—deeper into the flood.
If she could not shield the settlement, she would shield the two beside her, and the one a little distant from her.
Effie. Caster. Cassie.
The future could hold its consequences. The regret could wait.
The present demanded blood, and she would pay it.
The battle raged on.
—
Minutes blurred together until they lost all meaning. Flame and steel rose and fell in relentless rhythm. The Spire Messenger that had chosen the western front descended with catastrophic force, tearing through their formation for a moment. Its jagged beak shut on air as Caster lured it into range.
A surviving sleeper raised a bow with shaking hands—and let the arrows fly.
In that same instant, Effie shattered one of the creature's limbs with both her bloodied hands.
And an instant later, Nephis drove her blazing sword through its pale flesh, enduring a scream of her own nerves as flame consumed both the monster and air.
Together, they brought it down.
When the final strike landed, the massive body crashed against the broken ground and lay still.
[You have slain a Fallen Monster, Cursed Herald.]
'It seemed Effie was wrong after all.'
Though the thought hardly mattered. Silence followed after the monster fell—a silence far more oppressive than the battle had been.
The silence of failure.
The remaining Nightmare Creatures scattered or lay dead among smoldering ruins.
Five Sleepers remained.
Caster stood breathing hard, one hand clutched to his side where blood stained his armor. Effie sat on the ground, leaning on her weapon like a support beam. Her grin was gone, exhaustion etched into her face.
Nephis extinguished her flames.
The agony lingered—but to be quite honest, she no longer cared.
No one spoke, but they all looked the same direction.
The East.
Without exchanging words, they turned.
And began walking back toward the settlement.
—
To claim that the sight that greeted them was one of carnage and despair would have been a lie.
The four of them stepped into something far stranger.
The settlement stood in disarray. Groups of Sleepers clustered together, some cheering loudly, others staring in stunned silence. Confusion lingered heavier than any grief. Relief hung in the air like heat.
Nephis slowed.
Two colossal corpses lay at the heart of the settlement.
Spire Messengers…
Both were sprawled across the shattered ground, pale flesh torn open by force, black feathers soaked in dark ichor. Their jagged beaks lay cracked against the ground. Wings stretched wide in grotesque stillness.
And standing over them—
No.
Kneeling.
A single figure in radiant armor.
Whispers followed as she continued moving.
From what she gathered in fragmented reports, the battle in the East had ended abruptly. A figure had descended from above, carried by someone capable of flight—dropping like a falling star, crashing onto one Spire Messenger with catastrophic force. In the same breath, he had seized the second with his ability, dragging both horrors down to earth.
After that, pure chaos.
Blades. Spears. Weapons conjured in shimmering arcs.
A single Sleeper moving with ruthless mastery.
Two Spire Messengers slain, utterly alone.
Nephis, of course, already knew who this was.
Who else could have accomplished such a feat?
Few among the hundreds in the settlement had died. Far fewer than expected. The number felt unreal.
She walked past the wide-eyed survivors. Their expressions held gratitude and awe, though none dared approach the armored figure.
Step by step, she closed the distance.
He knelt upon one knee between the fallen abominations, breathing measured and heavy.
His armor gleamed even beneath blood and dust.
It covered him entirely—gilded plates flowing seamlessly over a tall, imposing frame. The metal appeared both solid and fluid, clinging to broad shoulders and powerful limbs as though alive. No skin showed. No eyes. No mouth.
Where a face should have been, a smooth expanse of polished gold reflected the world like a mirror.
In that reflection stood Nephis.
White hair stirred faintly in the settling wind. Her expression remained composed. The golden surface captured her perfectly.
The armored man let out a low chuckle.
"Well… I'll be. Of all places to encounter the famous Changing Star."
His voice resonated from within the helm, amused and steady.
"…Tell me. How do you fare?"
Nephis regarded him without any visible reaction.
And slowly, she greeted him back:
"Hello, Gunlaug."
For indeed. Gunlaug, Lord of the Bright Castle, had descended upon the battlefield and slain two Spire Messengers.
Entirely on his own.